1. Ellen Degeneres will be American Idol‘s fourth judge in the show’s upcoming ninth season. [via The Daily Beast] 2. The New York City Planning Commission chopped 200 feet off of Jean Nouvel’s midtown tower, assuring that it will not rival the Empire State Building in height or muck up the Manhattan skyline. [via ArtsBeat] 3. Warner Bros. hopes DC Entertainment will be able to match the success of the powerful Marvel/Disney beast. [via LAT] 4. TextsFromLastNight.com is becoming a TV show about aimless twentysomethings on FOX. [via THR] 5. Ryan Adams’ record label Pax-Am is back. Does this mean The Awl will release an album? [via Paste Mag]